Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-11-19
THE ANARCHISTS AND THEIR ENn

ty at Chicago for participation in thu
HaynAarket tragedy; two more will
go to the penitentiary for life. and
the remaining one is dead by his
own hand.
The conflict with Anarchy in Chic
ago has been bitter one. The citv
has for 90 years been the home Of
socialists, communists and apar
chists. Iu 1872 Mayor Colvin had
to forbid the appearance of the red
flag of the commune in street parades
1t renamed for mayor like Carter
HARRISON fourteen years later IN
permit such demonstrations, and
Chicago saw Mrs. Parsons. tba
quadroon wife of the only American
of the seven condemned men, march
through the streets on Sunday in
Que of the largest professions ever
seen in the city, proudly bearing the
red flag on the black staff. Be.
tween 1872 and 1886 Europe had
been fostering with secret prepare.
tions for social revolution. One
crowned head had fallen at the blast
of a bomb, aud the bold attempts
had been made on others. Thous.
ands of the communists of Germany.
which has always been a hotbed for
socialistic conspiracies, had come to
this country. Among them came
oil but one of the seven condemned
anarchists. Lingg upon whom was
fastened beyond all denial the max.
ing of the one bomb which was
thrown among the policemen in the
Haymarket and whose house was
found to be a bomb shop, came as
late as 1856. Spies came in 1872.
Schwab, the only mind among the
seven that is at all reflective and
philosophical, arrived in this coun.
try in 1879. Sour from adversely,
he became a pungent editorial wri.
ter on Spies paper, the Arbieter
Zeituag.
The circumstances of the Hay.
market meeting and catastrophe,
and the parts played in it and the
preceding events by the condemned
men, will be recalled at this time.
AT the secret gathering ofthe Anar.
chist leaders to prepare for the
Haymarket meeting Engel submit.
ted plan by which to seiSe the city,
Bombs were to be thrown INTO all
the police stations, aud tho police
were to be shot down one by one.
Then it would be an easy matter to
cut telegraph wires and have the
city at the mercy of a mob of An
archists. AT the Haymarket meet
ing Spies, Parsons and Fielder
spoke. While the latter was talk.
ing the police marched down on the
meeting, and the bombthrowing
and shooting followed. No one Of
the condemned men u,reW the bomb,
nor did they do any shooting. Their
crime consisted in entering into a
conspiracy to murder. Eight of the
men concerned in the affair were ar
rested, and after a bitter trial, sew.
Gu were sentenced to death and one,
Neebe, received term in States
prison. The great mass OF the
American public regarded the pen.
atty as just and still do so, though
latterly there has been some revul-
sion in favor of communication, many
taking the view that the condemn
ed men could do more harm posing
as martyrs than by being sentenced
for life. After exhausting every
known recourse in the courts, the
Anarchists counsel brought heavy
pressure to bear on Gov. Oglesby
for Communication. The Governor
after due deliberatioD felt justified
in committing the sentence OF
Schwab and Fielden, nut allowed
the law to take its course in the
cases of the five others. Lingg, the
bomb maker, cheated the hangman
by suicide and the others persisted
last week.
We believe the public at large
will be satisfied with the result and
will feel that the Governor must
have had good grounds for commut-
ing two of the men and that be act
ed conscientiously. What the PEG.
pie wanted was not revenge for the
murdered policemen, but strict jus
tice. The condemned were all gull
ty, no doubt, but extenuating cir
cumstances seem to have been pre-.
scented in the cases Of the two whose
lives were spared. They sought by
violence to oyerlurn an existing
state of affairs, and suffered accord
ingly. The affairs may have needed
meDding, but they took the wrong
method. Freedom Of thought and
speech are recognized features oil
our government, and foreigners com
ing To nnr shnres are attended these